Next generation synthetic covalent 2-D materials unveiled

UAntwerp researchers from the CMT group, Dr. Mehmet Yagmurcukardes and Prof. Francois Peeters, in collaboration with a team from Manchester have uncovered novel 2D materials. (Nanowerk News) A team of researchers at the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester have developed a new method to synthesize 2D materials that are thought to be impossible or, at least, unobtainable by current technologies. Graphene was the world's first two-dimensional material, which subsequently opened the gates for the isolation of other two-dimensional materials. Graphene and other 2D materials usually have a 3D counterpart known as a 'bulk analogue'. For example graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms derived from graphite. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the fabrication of synthetic 2D materials that have no layered bulk analogue. Researchers have started to look at 2D materials that do not have a 3D counterpart.